US Minutes from missiles, Guam islanders get to grips with uncertain fate

16:12 12 august 2017

16:12 12 august 2017 Source:
Reuters

Q&A: What does the US military do on the island of Guam?

The small U.S. territory of Guam has become a focal point after North Korea's army threatened to use ballistic missiles to create an "enveloping fire" around the island.&nbsp;___

Minutes from missiles , Guam islanders get to grips with uncertain fate - The local government of this tiny U. S. Pacific island issued preparation guidance to its 163,000 people on Friday on how best to hide and deal with radiation after threats by Pyongyang to strike Guam

That’s the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate is out of their control. But islanders don’t seem in a hurry to get ready.

Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential catastrophe. That's the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam, where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate is out of their control.

Guam warns: 'Don't look at the flash or fireball'

In the wake of North Korea's threat to launch a missile attack against Guam, the territory's Homeland Security department issued new guidelines to prepare for an imminent missile threat.&nbsp;The two-page fact sheet includes tips such as: "Do not look at the flash or fireball – It can blind you" and "Take cover behind anything that might offer protection.

GUAM (Reuters) - Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential catastrophe. That's the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief But islanders don't seem in a hurry to get ready.

GUAM (Reuters) - Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential catastrophe. That's the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief But islanders don't seem in a hurry to get ready.

The local government of this tiny U.S. Pacific island issued preparation guidance to its 163,000 people on Friday on how best to hide and deal with radiation after threats by Pyongyang to strike Guam, or test its missiles in its surrounding waters.

But islanders don't seem in a hurry to get ready.

Mike Benavente, 37, who maintains air conditioners, said he saw the advisory on Facebook, but preferred family time at a beach barbecue to stocking up on supplies and thinking about suitable shelter options.

"Preparation for attack? I'm doing it!" he said, pointing to a grill he was readying for burgers and hot dogs. "If we have a big missile coming here, everyone's gonna die. How can I prepare for a missile?"

In a guidance note titled "Preparing for an Imminent Missile Threat", Guam Homeland Security advised seeking out in advance windowless shelters in homes, schools and offices, with concrete "dense enough to absorb radiation".

Japan deploys missile defence over N. Korea threat to Guam

Japan deployed its Patriot missile defence system on Saturday after North Korea threatened to fire ballistic missiles over the country towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, local officials and reports said. Regional tensions are mounting as Washington and Pyongyang ratchet up their war of words, with President Donald Trump warning Pyongyang would "truly regret" any hostile action against the US.Japan has in the past vowed to shoot down North Korean missiles or rockets that threaten to hit its territory.

That’s the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate is out of their control. But islanders don’t seem in a hurry to get ready.

By Martin Petty. GUAM (Reuters) - Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate is out of their control. But islanders don't seem in a hurry to get ready.

It said if an attack warning came, residents should seek shelter and stay there for at least 24 hours. Those caught outside should lay down, cover their heads and "not look at the flash or fireball" to avoid going blind.

Plush hotels along Guam's Tumon beach didn't seem in a rush to prepare either. Staff at several hotels and resorts said they knew guidelines had been issued but already had procedures in place for emergencies.

"We have an evacuation plan for typhoon, tsunami, terrorism, but we don't have anything for a North Korean missile attack," said a supervisor at one resort, who asked that neither he nor his hotel be identified because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

A manager at a hotel nearby had a printed copy of the guidelines, but said there was no instruction yet to distribute it to guests.

TIME LIMITED

North Korea on Thursday said plans would be completed by mid-August to fire four intermediate-range missiles to land near Guam, some 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) away, after U.S. President Donald Trump said any threat would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."

Suspected burglar runs into concrete wall

A man allegedly caught in the act of burglarizing a home in a Guam village tried to run from police, but ran into a concrete wall and fell down, according to a magistrate’s complaint filed Friday in the Superior Court of Guam. Jason Williams, 19, was arrested on a charge of burglary as a second degree felony.According to the complaint, police responded to a reported burglary in Dededo in Northern Guam and saw Williams standing outside a kitchen window, with one of his arms inside the window. He was wearing dark clothing and a red cloth around his neck, as described in the burglary complaint, documents state.

GUAM - Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential catastrophe. That's the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate But islanders don't seem in a hurry to get ready.

GUAM : Fourteen minutes is not long to prepare for a potential catastrophe. That's the estimated time taken from a launch of a mid-range ballistic missile in North Korea until impact on Guam , where residents seem resigned to the belief that their fate But islanders don't seem in a hurry to get ready.

Guam, an island half the size of Hong Kong and some 7,000 km from the U.S. mainland, is a target because of its naval base and air force base, from which two B-1B supersonic bombers were deployed close to the Korean peninsula on Tuesday.

It is also a permanent home to a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor.

Local authorities have been reassuring residents and tourists that a "strategic defense umbrella" across the Western Pacific can counter any missile attacks, and the chance of a successful North Korean strike on Guam was minimal.

"Our confidence is it's point zero zero, zero zero, zero - that's five zeros - and a one," the governor's homeland security advisor, George Charfauros, said on Friday.

"The threat level has not changed. It's business as usual."

That was the case on Saturday in Guam's malls and along its pristine beaches, where children played in the turquoise sea as parents drank beer and prepared picnics.

"I haven't really thought about preparation. We really don't know what to do if there's a missile attack," said Marlene, 37, an accountant.

"We get just 14 minutes. The military says they'll be ready, so we're banking on them."

Auto parts seller Mitch Aguon, 51, spent his day off fishing and said preparation was pointless.

"By the time we hear about it, it'll be too late and there's no room for us ordinary Joes in the bomb shelters. We're dead meat," he said.

(Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

Guam remains a top U.S. destination for South Koreans .
&nbsp;Despite concerns that Guam tourism would decline because of North Korean threats against the U.S. territory, Guam's tourism was up 5% over the weekend, the president of the Guam Visitors Bureau said Tuesday. President and CEO Nathan Denight said Guam Visitors Bureau has not noted any major cancellations or cancellation trends, but will continue to monitor tourism in Japan, Korea, and other major markets. "South Korea doesn't seem to be spooked at all. Japan is a market that is a little more cautious, but then again they're dealing with missile testing happening into the Sea of Japan," said Denight.

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